SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · SOUTH CAROLINA
MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS franchise in South Carolina: what the public record shows
Franchisees of MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS in South Carolina have taken 6 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $81,333). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's national ratio is 1.0× (not clearly different from 1.0×). Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 26 franchised outlets in South Carolina (fiscal 2025) — about 0.47 per 100k residents.
Loans in SC
6
Charged off (all years)
2 of 5
Loss ratio in SC
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
1.0×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = SC. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
1,120
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
20.4
national 26.6
Versus the country
-23%
thinner
Every business in MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's industry operating in South Carolina — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$722
South Carolina, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$698
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+3%
costlier to staff
What MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's industry actually pays workers in South Carolina, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 31 | 0 |
| 2024 | 28 | 0 |
| 2025 | 26 | 0 |
| System | Loans in SC | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in SC | Units in SC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport Clips | 14 | 0 of 14 | — | 36 |
| Planet Beach | 6 | 2 of 3 | — | — |
| WAXING THE CITY | 5 | 0 of 1 | — | — |
Other systems in MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's sector whose franchisees borrowed in South Carolina. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.